Chōjirō Sasakibe (First Generation)
Chōjirō Tadaoki Sasakibe (雀部 長次郎 忠息, Sasakibe Chōjirō Tadaoki) is the lieutenant of the 1st Division, under the command of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. One of the first lieutenants appointed to that position, Chōjirō was a former student at the Genji School and refused a position as instructor to instead take an oath to serve under Yamamoto for as long as he lives. Appearance Chōjirō is a young shinigami appearing to be in his late teens, early twenties, with a sunny disposition and usually seen with a smile on his face. His eyes are a vibrant yellow pair with thin, short eyebrows and shiny plantinum hair kept short and swept back. With lightly tanned skin, Chōjirō's features have a higher contrast that makes him stand out much more than others around him. In terms of build, Chōjirō is of average height and lean build, but is incredibly toned. Though keeps himself covered at all times to continue with his impression of weakness to those who look at him. He's known to wear several layers to further mask his build, wearing the traditional robes of a shinigami with a small white robe which was clasped at the front by a simple knot. Once he became a lieutenant, the white robe was replaced by a modified white vest that helps distinguish his division from others, long white arm guards and white turtle neck under his robes. To identify his rank and division, Chōjirō wears a badge with his division's insignia engraved on it attached to an armband on his left arm. Personality As stated before, Chōjirō is a shinigami with a sunny disposition who remains cheerful, energetic and carries himself with a smile on his face, a personality that is a stark contrast to that of his captain. During his time at the Genji School, he was noted as being a hard worker who strived to better himself every single day. Even when Yamamoto would talk down to him, he took it in stride and affirmed his weakness, stating that he would train even harder to eliminate that weakness. He was the first student to master Bankai outside of the existing captains and was considered a child prodigy, though he often downplayed his own talents to remain humble. Chōjirō shows complete devotion to his captain and his cause that he refused a position as instructor at the school and instead swore to follow Yamamoto and serve as his lieutenant for as long as he lived. He follows his captain's orders without hesitation and does not question them. Even if those orders would seem harsh or extreme. Chōjirō trusts his captain to know what's best for Soul Society and has complete faith in him. Because he wields significant power that would put him at the level of captain, Chōjirō has built a false persona around himself that makes him appear vastly weaker than he really is. He has never shown his Bankai to others, except for the time he fought against Yamamoto. And since then, has held back his true power, going as far as to remain at the Division headquarters during battles or purposely losing when facing strong opponents so long as they did not threaten his life or the life of his captain. History When he was younger, Sasakibe routinely visited Yamamoto at his school, always referring to him as "Eijisai-dono", a reference to the scar on his forehead. This annoyed Yamamoto and he apologized for doing so, but insisted that it would be wrong to use Yamamoto's real name. During one of his visits, Sasakibe told Yamamoto that he wished to be his right arm and compensate for anything that Yamamoto could not do. He declined an offer to become an instructor as he thought that he would simply end up copying Yamamoto. At Yamamoto's behest, he tried to defeat Yamamoto with his Bankai. Though he failed to defeat him, he left a permanent scar on Yamamoto's face. Sasakibe was told that his Bankai was like a child's, which he agreed with and said he would spend his life improving it in order to be of use to Yamamoto. He spent many years training intensely. When others began to call Yamamoto by a different name as a result of his new scar, Sasakibe continued to call him "Eijisai" as he could not change the way he called him because of a scar he inflicted. Though Sasakibe was able to master his Bankai before Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku did, he did not participate in battles and did not use his Bankai in front of others in the entire existence of the Gotei 13. He was sometimes insulted because of perceived weakness. He declined to act as a substitute captain when a position as captain became vacant due to his loyalty to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Plot Coming Soon. Powers & Abilities Zanpakutō Trivia Coming Soon.